Same as Trish here. 8pm. DH gets home at about 7pm so we all have dinner at the table then. I have a nearly 7yo and a 4yo. I have tried to get them to bed earlier but they just muck around and it just draws out the whole process. If they go to bed at 8pm they are too tired to muck around and generally go straight to sleep.... not as much jack-in-the-box business when my 4yo keeps coming out to the loungeroom etc asking for water/hot water bottle/another kiss etc. Plus my 6yo (also in grade 1) likes to do his reader with Dad. I do the morning routine all by myself and am a bit hell-bent on having DH involved with the night one just to show him that it's not a walk in the park and to stop feeling taken for granted!
I have nearly 8 and nearly 6 and they have both gone to bed at 7:30 for the last couple of years. DD1 could possibly push out to 8pm but as they share a bedroom this is not really a workable option and DD1 is usually exhausted anyway as she's very energetic during the day. I rarely allow them to go to bed later as they tend to wake too early and get too tired the next day. Bed time routine is to make sure every time that they have gone to the toilet (even if they claim not to need to) and had a very small drink before they get into bed. They know that once they're in bed I don't tolerate mucking around! But this has been their routine since very little so they know that bed time is bed time and if they don't cooperate, their night light gets turned off and they don't like that.
Good luck!
Divvy I am exactly the same for all my boys. It is meant to be a 7.30 bedtime, but like your boys Kameron will find something to keep him going till 8. We are now saying to him, if you go to bed now, you can read for a while. Lach and Ash are generally pretty good and will be asleep by 8. Only a Friday or Saturday night I allow them to stay up beyond that, but Lachlan and Ashton are usually asleep on the lounge by 8.30 anyway.
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